Multi-Sensory Education
Multi-Sensory Education engages multiple senses simultaneously —sight, sound, touch, and movement—thus enhancing learning and retention. While this is ideal for any learner, this approach to learning is particularly effective for students with dyslexia, ADHD, visual processing differences, auditory-processing differences, memory difficulties, and other learning difficulties.
Key Components of Multi-Sensory Education.
Visual (Seeing) – Using materials that are visual in nature: images, diagrams, videos, charts, and color coding support understanding, retention, and retrival.
Auditory (Hearing) – Incorporating sound information into instruction: call and response, reading aloud, rhymes, discussions, music, verbal information.
Kinesthetic (Physical Movement) – Using hands-on activities that involve gross and fine motor skills, physical - movement based representations of concepts or ideas, role-playing, and physical engagement with tactile learning materials.
Tactile (Touch-Based) – Using hands-on textured materials, writing in sand, or manipulating objects like letter tiles, counting objects, or using fraction tiles to solidify conceptual understanding.
The Orton-Gillingham Approach.
Multi-Sensory - Auditory, Visual, Kinesthetic, and Tactile senses are engaged simultaneously. The use of movement is a unique and crucial component.
Diagnostic - Assessments reveal students academic strengths and needs, which is used to design instruction.
Prescriptive - Instructional decisions are based individual needs of the student revealed in the assessments.
Systematic & Sequential - Active lessons are taught in a specific order based upon mastered skills and build upon them to ensure mastery.
Explicit - Direct Instruction is the main mode of teaching. Rules, concepts, and skills are directly taught using multi-sensory methods or practice and review to ensure retention.
Flexible - Specialists meet the individual needs of students by changing the direction of lessons based upon student performance.
Emotionally Sound - This approach identifies student’s strengths in which to build new knowledge, leading to enhanced confidence. Repeated practice continues to build confidence which helps students develop a positive attitude towards learning.
